Zimbabwe ? Zimbabwe’s opposition leader called on his supporters Friday to challenge President Robert Mugabe’s rule in next week’s runoff election despite a “wave of brutality” he says the government has unleashed.

Even as Morgan Tsvangirai urged Zimbabweans to have the courage to vote in the face of a violent crackdown, a judge ordered the No. 2 opposition leader held on treason and other charges until after the election.

“The wave of brutality being inflicted upon our people is reminiscent of the worst days of” white rule, Tsvangirai said in an e-mail, one of the few ways he has of reaching voters.

The opposition leader’s attempts to tour the country have regularly been stymied by police at road blocks, and the state-controlled media here all but ignore him.

In a statement adopted Friday, European Union leaders threatened authorities in Zimbabwe with more sanctions.